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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPublic Safety Committee Minutes 2025 01-02-25APPROVED 3/6/25 Page 1 of 2 UNITED CITY OF YORKVILLE PUBLIC SAFETY MEETING Thursday, January 2, 2025 6:00pm East Conference Room #337 651 Prairie Pointe Drive, Yorkville, IL In Attendance: Chairman Dan Transier Alderman Craig Soling Alderman Chris Funkhouser Absent: Alderman Seaver Tarulis Other City Officials in Attendance: Police Chief Jim Jensen Sgt. Sam Stroup (left 6:15pm) Others in Attendance: None The meeting was called to order at 6:00pm by Chairman Dan Transier. Citizen Comments: None Minutes for Correction/Approval: November 21, 2024 The minutes were approved as presented. Chairman Transier asked to amend the agenda by moving the Old Business item to the beginning of the agenda. Old Business: (out of sequence) 1. PS 2025-01 Route 47 Downtown Traffic Activity Update - Discussion Chief Jensen said this traffic update is in relationship to the department annual goal of identifying problems and finding solutions. He said the focus in December was on speeding in the downtown on Rte. 47 (between Fox and River Road) due to complaints from businesses and residents. Sgt. Stroup compiled a traffic report for December and reported speed data and accidents for the downtown. He said the average daily traffic on Rte. 47 is 8,000 – 9,000 vehicles. Directed patrols were increased and he reached out to the Sheriff's office and Illinois State Police for extra patrol and they assisted, contingent on available manpower. In a previous report, he suggested moving the 30 mph sign for southbound Rte. 47, further to the north to help slow traffic. He also suggested to update the crosswalk at Rt. 47 and Hydraulic to increase pedestrian safety. These will go before IDOT for consideration. It is not known how long it will take to move the speed signs and the Chief will contact Brad Sanderson and Eric Dhuse to reach out to IDOT about moving the signs. Chief Jensen said areas of concern are the number of miles per hour over the limit, so officers will be directed to monitor this and make stops. Alderman Funkhouser asked to have the highest speed recorded to be included in the report. Chief Jensen noted that speed cameras cannot be installed since Rte. 47 is a state route. He said this item will be kept on the agenda and they will provide updates at each Public Safety meeting. Page 2 of 2 In another Old Business item, Chief Jensen noted that Alderman Tarulis had asked at the last meeting, about installing stop signs on bike paths. After consulting with the City Attorney, he said there is no municipal code to allow for stop signs there. He said there is an IVC violation that if people enter an intersection when not safe, they would be liable based on the IVC. Even if an HOA puts up stop sign, it is unenforceable by the PD. New Business: 1. PS 2025-02 Monthly Report Review for October and November 2024 Chief Jensen presented information on overtime hours, drug take-back, CSO hiring, recruitment efforts, policing efforts and training hours. In addition, he gave statistics on crashes, speed data, crime report numbers, arrests and the total number of incidents. He commented that the crime reports held steady compared to last year. Vehicle mileage and gas amounts were also noted. No further discussion or questions. 2. PS 2025-03 Adjudication Reports for November and December 2024 The Chief said there were impounded vehicles, retail thefts, possession of cannabis at the high school and alcohol violations. There were also a couple violations from Building and Zoning regarding water tampering. 3. PS 2025-04 Review of 2025 Annual Department Goal The annual department goal focus is on challenging the staff to solve problems. Chief Jensen said that in 2024, performance standards were put into place including being proactive. He said officers were asked to make a minimum number of stops per day/month. As a result, problem areas were identified and staff was challenged to solve the problems there. The Sergeants are also being tasked with insuring that the problems are solved and follow-up will be done in 1-2 months. The Chief said some slowdown of traffic has been seen in the downtown area. Alderman Soling said he received a call regarding an officer sitting in the median on Rte. 34 with no lights and he was nearly hit. Chief Jensen said staff has been instructed to discontinue parking in that spot. Chairman Transier noted that speeding is prevalent on Rte. 34 between Plano and Yorkville. Alderman Funkhouser also noted the speed of cars on Rte. 34 between Yorkville and Oswego and he said wider roads encourage drivers to drive faster. There is also a big gap between stop lights, noted Chairman Transier. Mr. Funkhouser noted how Batavia modified Rte. 31 from 4 lanes of traffic into 2 lanes plus a turn lane in the middle. He said it is slower, but working well. In another matter, the Chief said the annual report will be presented at the next meeting. Old Business: None Additional Business: Chief Jensen noted a speeding complaint on Cannonball from Alyce to Rte. 34, so speed signs will be placed to monitor. There was no further business and the meeting was adjourned at 6:37pm. Respectfully submitted by Marlys Young, Minute Taker